'J-K special status revocation complicated issue, dialogue with Pak necessary'

Peoples Democratic Party chief Mehbooba Mufti on Sunday said Jammu and Kashmir was a political issue and the revocation of the erstwhile statersquos special status only ldquocomplicated it furtherrdquoMehbooba also alleged that the BJP was using the delimitation exercise to turn the Jammu and Kashmir issue into a religious oneAddressing a press conference after the partyrsquos political affairs committee meeting Mehbooba said the situation in the union territory was ldquogetting worse or was made worserdquo daybyday and people were facing several difficulties since August 5 2019 the day the Centre revoked Article 370ldquoAttempts are being made to trample the rights of the people of Jammu and Kashmir the guarantee provided by the Constitution of India The Delimitation Commissionrsquos report is part of that and nothing new It is also an attempt to weaken the peoplerdquo she saidSeeking a dialogue with Pakistan to ldquoresolve the issuerdquo the former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said she would be labelled an antinational ldquoBecause whoever speaks against the BJP or its agenda or even Nathuram Godse will be labelled antiIndiardquo ldquoBut I will still say the Jammu and Kashmir issue is a political one and it has not gone away by revoking Article 370 but has been complicated further The Government of India will have to talk to its neighbour Pakistan today or tomorrow or some other day to resolve the issue of and to stop the bloodshedrdquo she saidHowever she said ldquoThe more violence or bloodshed in Jammu and Kashmir the more it benefits the BJPrdquo To a question that the Centre has categorically denied talking to Pakistan about Jammu and Kashmir and instead wants to talk about Pakistanoccupied Kashmir Mehbooba said ldquoFirst they should talk about China making inroads to Ladakh daybydayrdquo ldquoThat is also a part of this Jammu and Kashmir and not of Pakistan The ceasefire worked after India and Pakistan talked to each other They are shying from accepting that they are talking to PakistanAfter all their biggest leader former prime minister A B Vajpayee went to Pakistan Prime Minister Narendra Modi went to Pakistan so they will have to talk to them and there is no other alternativerdquo she saidSpeaking about the delimitation exercise Mehbooba said ldquoThey have tried to make the people of Jammu and Kashmir fight each other at the sectarian level social level Our struggle will be against this Our political agenda is that Jammu and Kashmir is a political issue but they want to make it a religious one We have said it continuously that Jammu and Kashmir has been made a laboratoryrdquo she saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever